The Problem with Time
by Elise Felton
Summary: Pippa Logan grew up after the defeat of Voldemort; after Harry, Ron, and Hermione moved on and started families; after the wizarding community finally began to heal; and far after the Marauders ever ruled the halls of Hogwarts. But following a run-in with time, Pippa finds herself in a world very different from her own, meeting people she'd only ever read about in history books.


Hello, fellow fans! I've been meaning to write this story for ages, and it's something I've had in my mind for years now. Hopefully getting it down will work as some type of therapy for me… Hope you like it .

These characters, except for Pippa, are NOT mine but the wonderful J.K. Rowling's.

PSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSPSP

 _ **What the fuck happened?**_

 **Song: "The Adventure" by Angels & Airwaves**

I sighed heavily and took a small sip of my steaming cup of coffee, desperately needing the caffeine to kick in and wake me up. It was 9 a.m. on a Monday morning and I did _not_ want to be at the Magical History Museum learning about the First Wizarding War; something that I had done far too many times as a student at Hogwarts.

About every two years the school's staff carted the students to the museum in central London, intent on teaching them about the dark, backward ways of the past. It was 2015 and yet they were insistent that we learn about a war that started and ended in the 20th century. Sure, the history was interesting and otherworldly, but the repetitive nature of the visits eventually made the whole experience boring by third year. I was a sixth year now and was convinced I had received the message our professors were trying to convey. I rolled my eyes with frustration thinking about it and rested my head against my best friend Teddy Lupin's shoulder.

"Why are we here _again_?"

Teddy chuckled quietly and leaned into me.

"Pippa, this stuff is important. I think it's good we get healthy reminders so often."

I gave him a pointed look, sitting up and taking a large gulp of my drink. I knew Teddy would always be more into this stuff than me. His father, Remus Lupin, had been apart of both Wizarding Wars and had died in the second. His mother too. Teddy had grown up in a world completely different from my own. While his was magic, mine was muggle. These people, these names were far removed from anything I had ever known; and while I lived in this world now, the past still seemed alien to me.

"I know, I know… I just can't believe this stuff actually happened, you know? Sometimes I still feel like it's all made up," I said with a shrug.

Before Hogwarts, growing up with magical abilities had been difficult… My family was American and moved to London when I was just 7. I was the new girl in school, and the stress of the move seemed to bring out the magic in me. I was bullied for my accent and different customs and was soon unintentionally causing _strange_ things to occur around school and at home.

In primary school, I made more than a few boys' pants fall down, and at home, whenever I became angry with my mother or father, things would often inexplicably brake. They noticed of course but always blamed coincidence. It was only when I received my acceptance letter to Hogwarts that they really started to understand what exactly I was capable of. Although shocked, they were happy and excited for me; I had never really fit in with muggle children. I remember the day when the ministry official came by my home, calmly explaining to my parents the ins and outs of my future education. My parents were relieved; I was nervous. I had no idea what to expect.

The moment I _knew_ though, the moment I just felt like I belonged was when I finally saw Hogwarts. I stared up at the towering castle and never looked back.

"I know it must be different coming from a muggle family," Teddy said understandingly. "But these people…they were my dad's classmates and friends."

Teddy bumped my shoulder with his own gently, smiling down at me. His light blue hair was sticking up in every direction possible, and his kind eyes, a dark brown today, managed to always calm me. We had been best friends since my second year at Hogwarts. Although Teddy was in Hufflepuff and I was in Gryffindor, we still managed to see each other all the time. He was loyal, caring, and lacked the dramatic personality many of my roommates exuded. He balanced me out nicely, and while many assumed we were romantically involved, my relationship with Teddy was totally platonic. Besides, I still don't think he was over Victoire Weasley.

I noticed Teddy looking down at his feet, obviously deep in thought. I knew he was thinking about his parents again. Teddy did that often. I suddenly felt horrible for ever saying anything against the trip.

"You're right," I began. "Let's make the most of it. Tell me who all these people are and tell me about it all properly. Hearing you say it might completely change the experience."

Teddy smiled and grabbed my hand, bringing me to a stand.

"Well, have you ever heard of the Marauders?"

Teddy spent the morning leading me from exhibit to exhibit, telling me the stories I wouldn't get from any plaque or tour guide. He told me about his dad, Remus's best friends, and his godfather, Harry Potter, who was a legend in the wizarding world. I had met Mr Potter a few times but had never quite made it past the pleasantries as I was always far too nervous to properly converse. He had defeated Voldemort, after all… Teddy assured me he was normal, though.

"So Sirius, James, and Peter would transform into their animagi every full moon for your dad?" I asked.

"Yeah- pretty cool, huh?" Teddy stopped in front of an old, framed newspaper that showed Sirius Black's mugshot after he had been framed for aiding in the deaths of Lily and James Potter.

"They sound like good friends."

"I think they were… or at least, that's what Harry says."

I smiled at Teddy and ruffled his hair.

"I'm sure they were."

"Yeah…"

Teddy always got quiet when he was embarrassed. I chuckled and grabbed his hand, beginning to lead him to the next exhibit.

"Come on, Mr Tour Guide. We aren't done yet," I said, laughing.

"Teddy?"

Victoire shyly approached us and I quickly let go of Teddy, making sure it didn't look like anything was going on. Teddy looked shocked and excited, smiling brightly at the pretty witch. Victoire _was_ beautiful. Her lovely blonde hair and perfect skin was almost ethereal and she was nice to everyone from what I knew. Teddy could do worse.

"Do you… do you want to walk around with me for a bit?" she asked, a bit of color tinting her cheeks. "I understand if you're busy…"

Teddy looked utterly flabbergasted, opening and closing his mouth repeatedly. He remained silent, obviously unable to form a coherent sentence. I nudged him and smiled at Victoire.

"I'm sure Teddy would love to."

Victoire grinned appreciatively as Teddy slowly took her arm in his and began walking away with her. He looked back at me after finally getting over what had just occurred, giving me a wide-eyed smile. I waved at him, giving him a nod to let him know it was fine. I was happy the guy was finally getting the chance to talk to her. He had been pining for the last two years.

As soon as they left, I began wandering around the museum alone, looking at the various artifacts and reading up on the individuals involved in the wars. I recognized numerous names with many of my classmates' families having taken part in the conflicts. For me, it was shocking. I was a muggle born witch and was therefore in the category of people Voldemort had wanted to rid the wizarding world of. I couldn't imagine not being a part of this world, though, and promised to later thank Teddy's godfather for everything he had done to ensure I had the opportunity to go to Hogwarts at all.

I came upon an exhibit that mentioned Hermione Granger; another one of Teddy's pseudo parents. She was a lovely witch, and had helped me on more than one occasion adjust to my new life. She too was muggle born and knew what it was like to integrate as someone from the outside. I remember her emphasizing to me a few times that just because I was born in a muggle family did not mean I was at a loss of any kind. She said to embrace my muggle heritage and find a balance between the magical and non-magical.

The exhibit included what it referred to as a time-turner; the very one used by Hermione Granger during her years at Hogwarts. I examined the small piece closely, wondering how exactly it functioned.

"Interesting…"

I felt a presence on my right, but didn't look to see who it was. I was engrossed by the mechanics of the artifact. To think that just by turning it, you could travel back in time…

Suddenly, I wasn't viewing it through the glass. The dirty casing covered in fingerprints and smudges had disappeared. I looked at it in shock and turned to the person next to me.

"What on Earth…"

The man beside me leered, and pushed me aside. He was older and haggard with greasy hair and rotten teeth—his eyes wild and crazed. He made a move to grab the time-turner.

"Stop! Wait!"

I pushed him back just as he grabbed the piece and attempted to take it from him. We were struggling when I suddenly felt a pull deep in the pit of my stomach.

 _Shit._

I could hear screaming and people running towards us. Someone yelled "Pippa!" as everything started to go blurry and fuzzy. _We're time traveling_ , I thought to myself. I held onto the time turner for dear life, scared of what the consequences could be if I let go. The man held on too, failing to shake me off. I felt like I was being pulled in a million different directions as we were surrounded by sounds and brilliant flashes of color. I hoped we weren't going back far—from what I understood, this time turner could only take you back a few hours.

Suddenly everything stopped.

I closed my eyes, trying to make my dizziness go away and listened. Was I in a battle?

I opened my eyes and immediately ducked as a curse in the form of a brilliant red light wizzed past me, barely missing my head. The man who had time traveled with me was gone, and I was in the middle of a battle field.

Numerous men and women in black robes with masks and others dressed _more_ normally were scattered about a field, throwing hexes at one another. No one seemed to notice me as I kept down, crouched, trying to sort out where I was… or even what _time_ it was. The people in the dark robes looked strangely familiar, like death eaters—Voldemort's most loyal servants—but no one had seen them in _years_. I felt my chest constrict and panicked, attempting to edge away from the middle of the conflict.

I held my wand tightly, thankful it hadn't fallen out of my jeans during the time traveling, and crawled over to some high grass, away from any of the fighting. I narrowly missed another few curses but still managed to remain fairly unnoticed.

"Hello there, girly."

My eyes widened and I looked up to see a very large, terrifying man. He seemed to be sniffing the air around him, and he smiled at me lasciviously. His teeth were sharp and his thin, scraggly hair was long, draping around his shoulders. He looked oddly, and scarily, familiar.

"Wh-Who are y-you?" I asked, keeping my wand close to my side.

"Fenrir …"

My eyes grew to the size of saucers.

"Greyback?!"

He growled and just when I thought he would pounce, a hex hit him square in the chest, knocking him back.

I watched him quickly recover and look at me, conflicted and shaken, before disappareting.

 _But Greyback was dead…_

I remember reading about it in history class and seeing stuff about it in the museum. I inwardly gasped as I suddenly realized I'd just encountered the man who had bit Teddy's father. The man who made him into a werewolf. He was horrifying- the pictures in the museum had done nothing to capture his grotesqueness.

I had to tell Teddy he was still alive.

"Who the fuck are you?"

Startled, I turned to see yet another familiar face; only, I couldn't quite place it. The boy was around my age, or maybe just a little older, with jet black hair that hung around his stunning face. He was tall and lean with murky blue eyes and a mischievous yet regal look about him. He was dressed a little peculiarly though, almost in vintage-looking attire…

"I asked you a question," the boy stated firmly. "Who the FUCK are you?"

"Pippa…" I said slowly, standing to face him.

The fighting had died down and people began to disapparate left and right, the figures in the black robes and masks disappearing quickly.

The boy walked over to me quickly, his wand drawn and aimed straight for me.

" _Who is that…"_

I could hear the others make their way towards me as well, whispering to one another in question.

"Why are you here?" the boy demanded angrily, his wand now at my neck.

"I-I don't know… who are you and where am I?!" I looked around, more panicked now. None of these people were familiar to me from Hogwarts. I recognized them, but in a different way, almost like from a memory.

"You don't know me?" he asked, lowering his wand a bit. He seemed legitimately confused, and maybe a little annoyed?

"No… I-I honestly don't know where I am," I said.

"I'm Sirius Black," he said slowly.

My eyes widened in disbelief.

"What year is it?" I asked, the fear in my voice palpable.

"It's 1976."


End file.
